What will Kolb’s success mean to UH?

It was a big day Thursday for former Houston quarterback Kevin Kolb, as he was traded from Philadelphia to Arizona, a deal that will undoubtedly give him his shot to be a full-time starting quarterback in the NFL.

As if the pressure of such a role isn’t enough, the Cardinals gave the Stephenville product a hefty contract extension as well (reports are it’s a five-year deal for roughly $63 million, $21 million of which is guaranteed).

Kolb’s name was one of the most talked about in the offseason, in large part because he made it known that he wanted to be a starter. With Michael Vick’s emergence in Philadelphia last year, it seemed less likely that the Eagles were going to be the place for him.

But now his time has arrived. Nobody knows how he is going to perform, but many have their opinions. I can only assume that most UH fans believe he is going to succeed based on what they saw from the 26-year-old during his four-year career with the Cougars.

Kolb was a pivotal figure in UH football. It was he, along with head coach Art Briles, that helped the Cougars turn the page from their struggles in the start of the decade, leading the team to three bowl games in four years and a Conference USA championship in 2006.

Through that time, Kolb displayed his physical ability, which included a strong right arm to his mobility in the pocket. He showed his toughness, particularly in the 3-8 season the Cougars had in 2004, a year in which he got hit plenty. And he showed his growth and leadership — along with Briles, he was one of the faces of the program during his time and you could see his game grow, particularly in his latter years, to the point where he was one of the best quarterbacks in the country.

Since being drafted by the Eagles in 2007, Kolb has spent most of his time on the sidelines, awaiting the small handful of chances he got to play. He showed flashes of what he could be, putting up big numbers while leading the Eagles to back-to-back wins in October over Atlanta and San Francisco. He also had his bad moments, from the infamous second-half against Baltimore when he came in for Donovan McNabb in 2008 and in some losses as a starter in 2010 while Vick was injured.

The last time Kolb got this chance was at the start of the 2010 season when Andy Reid named him the starter, but he suffered a concussion against Green Bay. This time, when he’s in Arizona, there’s (presumably) no Michael Vick waiting in the wings – it will be his team and his alone.

So the question is, how will he do? Will he become an All-Pro or Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback? Will he be an above-average or middle of the road starter? Or will he struggle to thrive in that role?

In my experience, which was early in Kolb’s UH career, a few things were clear. He was talented, he had a good attitude, and he worked hard. There are plenty of guys in the NFL who you can say those same things about and they might not be successful because, well, it’s the NFL. But I tend to think that those things will help him in the long run and he’ll eventually be a successful starting quarterback, possibly even a Pro Bowler.

And based on what he’s done there so far, it stands to reason that Arizona head coach Ken Whisenhunt is a bright mind. This is the guy he wanted and they’ll do whatever they can to make sure this works out.

But what do you think? And furthermore, what will Kolb’s success or failure mean to UH football? Obviously if Kolb is successful, it is a positive because it allows people to say that players who come through UH are successful on the next level.

But right now, Kolb is the most prominent Cougar name in the NFL, even though he hasn’t had the chance to accomplish much yet. If he fails, will it have a negative impact on the perception outsiders have of the program?

Let me know what you think and take a vote in the poll while you’re at it.

I think Kolb will have to do REALLY well for CK to get respect from the NFL. It’s easy to label him a “system guy.” As much as I love him, half of his passes are five yard dinks around the line of scrimage.

I think Kolb will be a better than avg nfl player. I think he can be as good or better than a Matt Shaub type quarterback. He has all the tools to be great he just needs the confidence knowing his offensive line will give him the time he needs to make plays. As long as he has confidence and doesn’t press and make bad throws,he will do the same thing he did at UH, make plays and win games. Go Coog!

Sam – How would you compare Kolb his freshman year (3-8) versus Piland’s freshman year? By compare, I mean Kolb’s physical size and strength at the time versus Piland’s, their field awareness, arm strength, etc. My reason for asking is I’m trying to loosely gauge our future with Piland and how he compares to his predecessors (Kolb and Keenum). Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Go Coogs! Thanks

Bill,
It’s tough to compare because circumstances were so different. Actually Kolb’s freshman year was 2003 when the Cougars went 7-6 and made the Hawaii Bowl. The 3-8 year was Kolb’s sophomore year. Kolb was a bigger kid physically as a frosh if I remember correctly. Piland is tall but I think Kolb was thicker. I think Piland has good arm strength but I don’t know if it’s as good as Kolb’s was. Both had their fair share of freshman mistakes. The circumstances were tougher for Piland because he had to come in midseason while Kolb started from the jump. So I think it’s hard to compare them mentally from that standpoint because those are completely different situations. I would say that while Piland had his struggles last year, I thought he showed some nice signs of what he could be in the future. I think he’ll be a very productive QB for UH.

Ware & Klinger didn’t do too well in the NFL and it seems that’s how any UH QB is judged when it comes to a pro future. Hopefully Kolb can succeed where his predecessors didn’t and remove the stigma that follows UH Quarterbacks in the NFL. That would help Keenum, those who follow him, and perhaps in recruiting.

Personally I think Kolb will be at worst a middle of the road starter and I think that his performance over time will shine brightly for UH in the long term.

Ware’s and Klingler’s performances in the NFL were an embarassment so anything better than a bust will be great.

With Keenam, I am not so certain he has an NFL body and can withstand the punishment of a 16-18 game schedule. He’s already damaged goods with an ACL. Before he hurt his knee I thought he was perfect for the CFL, but now I consider that league a longshot for him too.

Regardless of how Keenam does in the pros, he has people talking about UH and that is terrific. Throwers will want to come to UH if we keep generating the offensive numbers and win games.